Decorating Under the Affluence

So finally the show is here!!! Decorating under the affluence!

If only I had taken Margaret Russell's (Editor-in-Chief Of Architectural Digest) advice and insisted on hair and makeup, not to mention losing 15 pounds before the show was taped instead of after, I would have no negative comments.

I love the show. Martyn was born for TV, the way he makes fun of himself but at the same time is highly professional and gets the job done. He and I go back many years; I'm a huge fan of his work. Nathan was a regular guest at The Libby Ranch in Ojai before selling to Reese Witherspoon. His genius as a cook is only surpassed by his extraordinary eye for antiques. And, as we are neighbors in our Almont Yard showrooms in West Hollywood, so I get sneak peaks at all of his new treasures. Jeffrey lives close to me in Santa Monica, and my Saturday bike ride takes me past Jeffrey and Ross's front door -- the perfect place to stop for a cup of coffee. Their house is ravishing, everything is always immaculately in place, despite the two labs bounding around -- it's the opposite of my house, with my one little Jack Russell. (Well, I suppose I do have three teenage boys.) Mary is hilarious, self-deprecating, and doesn't take herself so seriously, all the traits I love in a woman. It should also be said that she's perfectly turned out at all times.

I really enjoyed following my fellow cast members storylines. What I find most compelling about MDD is how the diversity to all our lives keeps the show moving really fast. Martyn's reference to his heavily Botoxed forehead and Mary's comment on her client's divorce, "I thought you were going to tell me something really bad had happened, like you lost all your money" still make me laugh. My own boys and Jacqueline never fail to amuse me, even as they are driving me nuts. If I could just teach them all to tidy up after themselves (and that includes Jacqueline!), life would be so much less stressful at home. But chaos is all that I know and, somehow, I thrive in it. Having had three boys in less than four years, I've certainly learned how to think fast on my feet. Although it seems as though my car is actually my office as I migrate daily between my warehouse and showroom, finding a way to work out of the house and being around for the boys is a top priority.

This docu-soap is well-shot and edited. Having worked in the film business before I became an interior designer, I can certainly appreciate what it takes to get anything on the screen. Rich Bye and his team have delivered a wildly entertaining show. If this is a preview of what's to come, I'm already hooked!